Mike Roach
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Who: Texas Longhorns 6-7 (5-4) (2014) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-5 (2014)
When: Saturday September 5th, 2015 at 6:30 PM Central
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN (NBC)
Odds: Notre Dame -10
The Good:
To start, Notre Dame comes into the season with one of the most experienced teams in recent memory. With a total of 18 returning starters on both sides of the ball, the Irish have playoff aspirations coming into the season. The Notre Dame running game is built around a stable of productive running backs. While the Irish did lose Greg Bryant to academics, they return Tarean Folston who averaged 5.1 yards per carry last season. Folston was benched during a game against Arizona State for his failures in blitz pickup, but head coach Brian Kelly lauded the work he put in to get better and become a feature back. Notre Dame also returns junior receiver William Fuller who tallied over 1,000 yards last season. On defense, Notre Dame returns their full front seven including stud linebackers Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt. Look for the Irish to try to win by ground and pound against a re-built Texas defensive line, while trying to frustrate Tyrone Swoopes and the Texas offense.
The Bad:
On the field, Notre Dame was suspect against the pass last season, and things aren't looking much better going into this season. Unfortunately for Texas there are questions at quarterback and receiver that could prevent them from exploiting a suspect pass defense. Notre Dame has made more news off the field this offseason for issues with players like Greg Bryant on academic suspension, and Ishaq Williams being denied a waiver to return to the team after the academic scandal several players were caught up in. Texas also lost some defensive line depth when Kolin Hill chose to transfer this summer.
The Uncertain:
Like Texas, Notre Dame has questions at the quarterback position. While the supporting cast around Irish quarterback Malik Zaire is better than what Tyrone Swoopes has, the junior signal caller is still an unknown. Zaire has talent running the ball, but is relatively unproven as a passer. If Zaire can prove to be a competent passer who takes care of the ball he will be supported by a cast of productive offensive players, and protected by a very good offensive line which could lead the Irish into the playoff picture.
What's at Stake:
For Notre Dame, the goal is a playoff run. A Notre Dame fan realistically told me that in this matchup he would be surprised if Notre Dame didn't win by double digits. Notre Dame is looking to take care of business and move on to the next objective. While the pressure is on Notre Dame, Texas could get things going in the right direction and really springboard their young confidence over an upset in South Bend. The bigger picture is two two blue blood programs among the leaders in all time wins facing off in a prime time night game. All eyes will be on this game, and both schools can make an impression with recruits by playing well on Saturday.
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